Drink coffee, lots of it. Learn more than you brain can hold about the Kiva model. Bond with other fellows headed all over the world. Learn how to check on a borrower’s progress. Get really pumped about all the borrowers you'll get to meet! Quick tutorial on photography. Drink more coffee, you're only getting started…

Last week, Kiva’s 23rd class prepared to leave for their assignments by attending an intensive week-long training session at our headquarters. This class, KF23, is incredibly diverse with 10 nationalities represented among the 34 fellows who are headed to 19 different countries.

Since the Kiva Fellows Program launched in 2007, more than 500 fellows have worked with our field partners in 70 countries. The fellows have become a truly vital part of our mission. They provide support and expertise to our partners while also performing valuable verifications that ensure our borrowers are in good hands. The goal of alleviating poverty is at Kiva’s core and we want to be certain our borrowers’ best interests are always being served.

It’s a special time in the Kiva office when we get to meet our fellows - an inspiring group of people who are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Don’t miss our photos from fellows training week below!

P.S. Interested in becoming a Kiva Fellow? Applications are now open for KF25. The deadline to apply is May 18, 2014.

For more information on the application process or to see dates for future classes, please click here.

President Premal Shah addresses the new Kiva Fellows, who play an important role in shaping Kiva’s future.

Fellows break into regional groups to learn more about their upcoming assignments.

Kiva’s field support staff were in the office last week as well, they helped train the fellows that they’ll be working closely with over the next few months.

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I want to thank you for allowing us to donate in loving memory of my much loved nephew Paul Lambert. He was a true inspiration to all the family as he travelled the world and used his talent for language to enhance peoples lives. Your organisation is God sent to so many people. Thank you. Paul, we love and miss you dearly. Auntie Eithne xx

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Aurora hails from New England and has a background in communications, systems management and economic development.
She first realized her passion for nonprofits leveraging social media while working in web communications at MSF. She is incredibly excited to join the content team at Kiva and explore the juncture of technology and international development more thoroughly. She spent nearly a year working in Tanzania with students and was lucky enough to witness the spirit of small-scale entrepreneurship and how it impacts communities firsthand. She holds a BA from Princeton University where she concentrated in politics and was a member of the varsity swimming and diving team.
Aurora is a long-suffering, occasionally jubilant, Arsenal fan and copes with being dog-less by volunteering at the SF SPCA.

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Please keep comments appropriate and on-topic. See Kiva's comment policy for more details

Kiva's Comment Policy

To encourage conversation and build community on Kiva's blogs, we've made commenting accessible and viewable by anyone visiting Kiva. Given this high visibility, we ask that you abide by the following guidelines when posting a comment:

Comments should be relevant to the content of specific blog posts and are not to be used for self-promotion or to advertise or solicit.

Please refrain from using profanity or language that may be seen as degrading or disrespectful.

Commenters are expected to accurately and honestly represent themselves. False identities will not be tolerated.

Kiva reserves the right to remove comments in violation of this policy. See Kiva's Terms of Use Agreement for more information on user-generated content.

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About Kiva

Kiva connects millions of people through lending to alleviate poverty. Read about our partners, programs and loans here. Or check out stories straight from the field on the Kiva Fellows Blog. Have questions? Send them our way at blog@kiva.org.